President commissions 16 new factories in Mbale Industrial Park
By Babra Nambuya and Shamim Saad
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni officially commissioned 16 new factories within the Sino Uganda-Mbale Industrial Park in Mbale City.
He attributed the success of Uganda’s industrial sector to the effective policy initiatives of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government.
“In many of our tribes, wisdom is said to be more powerful than strength. “When we look at these industrial parks, we can see how important proper policy is,” he said.
“Today, we commissioned 16 factories, and then we broke ground on another 9, for a total of 25,” adding, you may recall that this location was a bush a few years ago, but now we have a labor force of 2,000 and 36 factories here,” he expounded.
He underlined that this progress was a result of leveraging Uganda’s resources and creating an environment conducive to attracting investors.
Museveni pointed out that the thriving market in Uganda and neighboring regions provided a strong stimulus for investors.
He expressed his gratitude to Uganda’s friends, especially the Chinese, for their collaborative efforts with the East African countries and Africa since 1949 and acknowledged the historical cooperation between China, Africa, and notable African leaders.
“They began working with our elders such as Mzee Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, and others because we are all on the same side; we are against imperialism and for freedom.” We used to work together politically at the United Nations and other organizations, but I’m delighted the Chinese government is now encouraging Chinese enterprises, both government and private, to invest in Africa. “I sincerely thank them,” he stated.
“As you may recall, when we allowed Indians to return to Uganda, there were some misunderstandings.” We had some less focused people who didn’t want them to come back, but I pushed that the Indians be given back their stolen property by the Idi Amin regime because you can’t irritate the pioneer investor and expect the new one to trust you.” He added
The President also emphasized the significance of having a thriving market, highlighting the potential of serving not only the Ugandan population but also the wider East African and African markets.
The President assured investors of a supportive environment, promising amenities like electricity, infrastructure, and peace. He stressed the importance of providing a warm welcome to investors and addressing their needs.
He also commended the NRM members for supporting the party’s vision and lauded the efforts of industrialists in the country.
He encouraged Ugandans to buy locally-made products, and he mentioned plans to ban importation of second-hand clothes and aid textile firms in entering the market.
Several government officials, including Minister of State for Investment and Privatization Hon. Evelyn Anite, Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development Hon. Matia Kasaija, and Minister of Energy and Mineral Progress Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa, expressed their appreciation for President Museveni’s leadership and his contributions to Uganda’s industrialization and development.
They cited the creation of jobs, advancements in infrastructure, and successful policy initiatives.
Hon. Anite, told the audience that when President Museveni took office in 1986, he promised Ugandans that his government would bring about fundamental change, and he did so by promoting peace, security, and development.
“Your Excellency, in a country that you inherited with a collapsed economy, you have built it to the point where we are now talking about manufacturing in Uganda with 500,000 factories,” she said.
She stated that the Mbale Industrial Park has produced 2000 jobs for Ugandan youth and commended President Museveni for being very energetic and innovative in recruiting investors to Uganda and pushing Ugandans to join the money economy and contribute value to our God-given resources.
The Chinese Ambassador to Uganda H.E. Zhang Lizhong praised the strong relationship between China and Uganda and highlighted their collaboration on various initiatives.
The Chairperson of the Sino-Uganda Industrial Park Mbale Zhang Zhigang, expressed gratitude for President Museveni’s unwavering support in realizing the dream of the industrial park.
The Mbale Industrial Park encompasses the production of a wide range of goods, including glass, fabrics, household detergents, mobile phones, smart televisions, baby diapers, garments, LED bulbs, tubes, energy meters, and stockings.